Tag Archives: freelance-zone

Freelance Zone T-Shirts?

Freelance Zone tee shirtsWe’ve been telling ourselves that it’s time to create some freelance-themed t-shirts for AGES and now that it’s finally about to actually HAPPEN, we wanted to give you the chance to throw your two cents in about slogans and such.

We know what WE would love to see on a shirt, but what are YOU interested in when it comes to letting your freelance flag fly? Nothing could be better free advertising than a shirt worn to your favorite theater, coffee shop, record convention, etc. than something that screams “I am a FREELANCE WRITER”…

So we throw the floodgates open for suggestions for slogans and t-shirt topics relevant to the freelance life. Please feel free to make suggestions in the comments and we’ll be very happy to get some input.

And, t-shirt lovers, stay tuned as we’ll have an announcement or three about upcoming Freelance-Zone.com tees in the very near future. We plan a set of shirts that should amuse and inform…

Cupcake Wars and Careers – It’s Funny Where Life Takes You

cupcake-wars-logoBy Amanda Connor

I assume you read this blog because you are serious about being a freelance writer. I try (humbly) to write each post for an audience of serious freelancers, such as yourself. However, we here at FZ have lives that extend beyond the realm of freelancing. We all have families, and colorful personalities, and hobbies (like turntabling!)

Everyone needs to fly their freak flag. My freak flag comes in the form of wedding planning. I am a hard-nosed editor at heart, but by day, I wear a cape of a different color. I own a wedding planning business, but this by no means makes me silly girl who loves unicorns and sparkles. I take my career(s) very seriously.

Two months ago, I was invited by a friend to audition for a Food Network Show called Cupcake Wars. While I have no professional baking background, lucky for me, neither did my friend, who chose to open her cupcake business on a total whim.

“Let’s try out for the show,” she said. “We’ll make total fools of ourselves! It will be fun!” Continue reading Cupcake Wars and Careers – It’s Funny Where Life Takes You

The Freelance Feed

This post is sponsored by FiledBy – where authors can claim their free website and build their online marketing platform.

by Catherine L. Tully

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OK. I have a small confession to make. I stink at keeping up with blogs via an RSS feed. I’m simply no good at it, and I hate adding it all the time. I know it is supposed to make my life easier, and I appreciate that, but it just doesn’t work well for me.

Enter “The Freelance Feed“. This handy little resource is an aggregator that features hand-picked, quality freelance resources and gives you everything on one page–including the titles of some of the latest posts on the site. You can have this e-mailed to you or even set it as your home page. I’m loving this resource!

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The site was launched in 2009 by Grace Smith, who is a freelance designer from Northern Ireland. Among the sites you will find listed in the “General” category are Freelance Switch, Freelance Folder, Guerrilla Freelancing, Seth Godin and Freelancer Magazine. (We’re in it too–that’s how we found the site!)

Don’t miss out–get everything in one place. It’s a great way to keep up on your favorite sites and take the pulse of the freelance industry at a glance. Thanks Grace!

This post was sponsored by FiledBy – where authors can claim their free website and build their online marketing platform.

A Request…

writers-digest-101-best-sites-for-writersHello all! It’s that time again…

If you are a Freelance-Zone reader and can find it in your heart to vote for us, we will be forever grateful. You were all kind enough to help us make the Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites For Writers list in 2oo9, and we’re hoping you will vote for us again this year.

Voting is easy…simply send an e-mail to writersdigest@fwmedia.com with the subject line 101 Websites, and put www.freelance-zone.com in the body. Thanks in advance to anyone who votes for us!

TutorialBlog: Tools To Make Your Life Easier

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by Catherine L. Tully

I stumbled across TutorialBlog while doing some mindless surfing and bookmarked it to share with Freelance-Zone readers. This site can come in handy for freelance writers as it has a wide range of tutorials that will help with everything from blogs to Photoshop techniques. There is information on there about freelancing, self-promotion and equipment as well as writing and editing advice.

Your Freelance Journey

journeyby Catherine L. Tully

You never know what is ahead of you on your freelance journey. I can’t tell you the amount of times that I have had a curve thrown my way. Sometimes it is a good one–an unexpected job, or a “yes” on a query I had long forgotten about. Sometimes it is a disappointment–a magazine folds before my article can be published, or I don’t get an assignment that I really wanted.

But it’s all about the journey.

One thing I love–no matter what–is this journey. I love waking up in the morning and going to work in my pajamas if I feel like it. I enjoy the fact that if I want to turn down a job I don’t like, I can do that. I make the rules and I set my own schedule. There is no subsititute.

I don’t know if I could ever go back to working a real job again. Some days I just wake up feeling… Continue reading Your Freelance Journey